Lost in a Dream
by pinkperfect9
Summary: (A Phantom of the Opera romance.)After Christine left Erik, he was heartbroken until a curious girl comes into the picture. What will happen when Erik finds out that their backgrounds aren't that different? Will he be able to let his heart love again, even if there's a possibility that he could hurt her like Christine?
1. Chapter 1

Trigger Warning: This chapter does have an abusive father and vague details of how he beat his daughter. If this affects you, please proceed with caution throughout this chapter and the rest of the story. Thank you, please enjoy if you do decide to proceed.

"Annabelle" she cringed as her father, Andre, called her. "Yes father" she stuttered, half expecting him to come and beat her for sounding so afraid, which she had good reason to be. Ever since her mother died, her father had treated her as a servant, and in his mind, she was just that. "Where are you? I want my supper. If you are not down here in three seconds, I will have to get my whip out again. Now you don't want that do you?" He asked in the most earnest way he could cough up. "No father" Annabelle replied. As she started to walk down the stairs, she remembered the last beating her father had given her. He took her outside where the crisp summer breeze roared throughout the open field. He very casually told her to stand by the pole as he tied her hands around it for she could not escape. Yet she knew what was coming. Even with the airiness of his voice, there was always a hint of angry behind it, as if he blamed her for her mother's death. First, he would take his whip out and check to make sure the leather strap is nice and tight, the better to inflict pain with. Then he would give it a few good whips on the tree to test its strength. Finally, he turned to her saying "You should have behaved. If you would listen to me then I would not have to do this all the time".That was a couple months ago and she still had the scar across her stomach, were the whip met the skin. Annabelle started to move faster, not wanting to go through that pain again, although it was not uncommon in her household. Since her mother died five years ago, she counted the number of times he beat, and it was well past one-hundred. That did not even include the times he would hit her because he was mad that supper was not done yet or when he got home his pillows were not fluffed the right way. Other times he would just be mad at a coworker and take his anger out on her. "Sorry father it will not happen again." She said trying to sound as innocent as possible. "It better not or well, let us just hope it does not have to come to that." He retorted smirking at her. "Also seeing as it took you so long to make supper, you don't get any. Now go to your room and give the left over food to the birds." Annabelle stood up removing her father plate from the table and threw the food into the yard. "Come here my sweet child" She heard her father call. She went as she was commanded and he slapped her upside the head. "I told you, that you shouldn't keep me waiting for my food. If it happens again, I won't be so nice." Annabelle then went to her room after her father dismissed her, her head still throbbing from the impact. How could all of this happen? Before her mother died, her father was her best friend; they used to do everything together. Occasionally he would scold her for doing something wrong but he would never hurt her. How could so much change in so little time. She recalled the memories of her father telling her over and over that it was her fault that her mother was dead. He said if she had behaved better, her poor mother would have lived. _Maybe it was my fault_ Annabelle thought to herself. Soon after she fell into a deep sleep, she dreamed of her father beating her repeatedly, telling her she was not good enough and she should have never been born. And what was worse yet, she was starting to believe it. Maybe her mother died as pay back for all the bad things Annabelle did when she was younger. Yet at the moment all she knew for sure was that, she was alone, completely and utterly alone in the dark world that lay just beyond her bedroom window. She woke up the next morning with tears running down her cheeks and her eyes puffy. The next thing she new her father strode into the room and slapping her across the face. Annabelle bellowed out in pain, for she did not expect it to happen. Her father grasped her hand and dragged her outside. Throughout the entire beating, she kept telling him, she was sorry, not that she knew what she had done wrong in the first place, but figured it best to act apoligetic. Yet that did not faze him as he tied her to the wooden pole as in her dream and began to whip her in such a way that left her crying out for mercy. "Maybe for once in your rotten life you could think about others and not about how _miserable_ you feel." Shouted her father coldly." I don't even know what I did wrong, father". She cried still trying to make sense of what happened. By this point, her whole body was covered in blood. He had whipped her so much there was no unscathed patch of skin. "Don't know what you, don't know what you did". He said louder then the first time, as it was the most obvious thing in the world." Well I'll give you a clue, what day is it?" Then Annabelle remembered that her father was having a party and told her to make the dinner, but she forgot. She started to get up, as much as she could with the restraints, to go make it when her father said. "Oh how sweet, you think I'm done, well let me inform you that I have only begun." An hour later, she lie paralyzed on the ground, her whole body covered in gashes. Her father came up, kicked her in the side, and only then was she done, for now. Making her get up after he took the shackles off, she went to go make the dinner. Later that day, she finished making the food, cleaning the house, and attempting to make it look like she had not just been beaten that day, but that was only the beginning of what the night held in store for her.

—

(Hello everyone, thank you all for reading my story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate any feedback whether it pertains to the good or the bad of this story. I also wanted to say that this story is dedicated to my best friends, blueblossombloom, consultingfangirl21, violetdancer19, and thefaultinfangirling (In no specific order) thank you guys for being so supportive and overall wonderful to me. You have always been there for me and I will be eternally grateful. Anyways please enjoy the story, comment, vote, and follow thanks.)

~Casey Spencer


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening, the roaring sound of music reverberated throughout the house. There were cheerful bursts of laughter, and people dancing to the melody of the music. Not once did anyone ask about the scars all across Annabelle body, as was to be expected with all the excitement going on around her. She sat limply in the corner of the room watching the people come in and out. They were all so happy. How could not they be, they were surrounded by people who cared for them. That is what Annabelle wanted so badly, to be surrounded by people who cared for her again. Not one single person in the world did though, much to her disappointment. They did not care if she died or lived. Annabelle was alone in her own little world, surrounded her fears that kept closing in on her. How could someone's life change so much in so little time. One second her mother was standing right beside her, the next she was laying on the ground, never to awake again. emIt should have been me; I do not deserve to be here./em Annabelle thought to herself. The party went on through most of the night. By that time she had decided to go up stairs and go to bed, which was not easy when the house was full of people's naive laughter, not knowing what horror had taken place where they stood just hours before. The next morning, she woke up early enough cook her father breakfast and set it out just before he got down the stairs. He greeted her with a grunt and quickly devoured the food, leaving Annabelle to clean up the mess after he left. Sometime later she made up her mind that she was going to run away tonight, even though she had run away before, it had never worked out but tonight was different from the others. She was tired of being treated like nobody. Her father barely acknowledged her presence and when he did it was to scold her for something she did not do. Her mother once told her "don't let anyone take advantage of you," and that is what was happening right now. She knew her way around town pretty well and knew that if she kept walking she could reach the edge of Paris in a couple of days. Besides it is not as if anyone would miss her. After the chores were done, she rushed to her room and packed a light bag with a couple outfits, food and a little money that was lying around. From there she had to wait until the sun had gone down and her father started snoring from the room across from her. When this very sequence of events happened, she snuck out of her room on to the wooden floor, made her way to the front door and began the long journey ahead. By the time she was sure her father was not following her, the sun had started to rise illuminating the ground with light. She was finally free, no more scolding, no more beatings, and no more waiting on people who could not even look them in the eye. She came to a halt as an officer spotted her. Had her father already noticed her absence? "Excuse me ms. but are you Annabelle Hawthorne," the officer asked causally as if this name had no significance" I believe you have me mistaken for somebody else. I am Catherine Jacobson." Annabelle lied quickly and walked away trying to appear as she was in a rush to get somewhere. The officer seemed to believe her and was on his way, not knowing that the real Annabelle had just walked past him. emWhy was her father looking for her? /emAnnabelle wondered, emshe was nothing to him/em. She kept walking, trying to put as much distance between her and the officer as she could manage. She was still limping from when her father whipped her and her scars showed the most above all. All things accounted for, she kept her head low trying not to draw to much attention to herself. Not wanting anyone to recognize her and turn her in. Whatever she did, she could not go back to her father not after what he did to her multiple times. By the time it became dark again, she to make it to the center of Paris, being recognizable by the small river running through it. By this time she would have liked to be closer to the outskirts of Paris by know but under the circumstances this was as far as she got. She glanced across the water seeing the moon glisten on the water, and a face that was not supposed to be there. Then the sound somebody's footsteps could be heard coming closer to the water's. Swinging around, there staring at her was a man with golden-brown hair, and blue eyes like crystals. He started to say something when he was cut off by the guards yelling that they found the girl. Annabelle started running in the opposite direction., figuring if she could run long enough she could find somewhere to stay. Her heart raced in her chest, thumping loudly into the silent abyss. Yet lucky for her a small ally lay behind a rundown building. She ran towards it and hid quietly in the corner. The sound of the officer's boots hitting the ground let her know that they did not find her, for now. What was she going to do? She could not run away from them her whole life. Everything was a big mess. Her whole life, after her mother died, had been miserable. She was alone. Nobody cared for her. Her father did not even want her. The only reason he is trying to find her is because he does not want to do the house keeping, and he needed a punching bag when he got angry. She was more of a maid of her father's than a daughter. Why did everything have to change. She had friends and family. Now no one cared what happened to her. All that filled their conceded minds was how good they looked or how they had the biggest house among their friends. Yet while they are having the time of their lives, people all around them were poverty-stricken and dying. By now the officers had gone back to whatever they were doing not even noticing Annabelle when she snuck by, determined to get out of Paris. Although, when she was running a twig cracked under the pressure of her body weight, letting the officers know that they had been wrong once more. An hour or so later, after many failed attempts at getting away from them, she stumped upon the deserted streets of Paris in the mist of the night, no office to be seen. On the deserted street, the only sound that could be heard was coming from an owl trying to find dinner. She decided to find another small ally to sleep in, as if the protection of the secluded alleyway was enough to stop the search for Andre's daughter. The next morning Annabelle woke up somewhat rested and started to look for food. All she had left was a little piece of bread she had noticed her way out. She had no money or clean clothes to change into. She could not live like this. Not out here. Not anywhere. As fate would have it, the officers were once more searching the town as if they expected her to still be there, which lucky for them she was. Getting away from them for a third time on the other hand was not as an easy task as finding her was, but it could be done, not alone, however. She had to find someone to help her.  
Hey I hope you like the story so far. If you have any comments you would like to tell me, please feel free. Also please vote, comment, read and most impotently enjoy. Love you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

"The guards walked past the ally where Annabelle was lying inconspicuously. They spared one glance down the forgotten passageway. Deciding that there was no one there, they kept moving. On that note, she leaped up from her hiding spot and started sprinting out of the ally. Feeling the cool breeze on her face, she kept moving towards what she thought to be passageway. As she had predicted it had been a corridor leading to who knows were. Figuring the guards might have seen her run out from her hiding place, her best chase was to go in. Creeping into the dark corridor, her feet crunched on the dirt covered ground. The whole hallway was a morbid image a grave, one that she recalled from her mother's burial. Walking in a little father, she heard a soft, beautiful voice coming from somewhere in the vast, empty halls. The voice was gentle and yet had all the anger and hate in the world combined in to one, something she could relate to easily. One side of her life had been made up of beautiful surreal moments, and the other half was made of appalling memories she would have liked to forget. She followed the sound farther, trusting that it would lead her to someone who could help her. In her mind, life couldn't get worse and if the being of the dark home wasn't cordial, then she could fend for herself. She kept walking further being careful to watch her step, afraid of what might be living down there. The voice ended leaving a warm sensation within Annabelle. The last time she felt something like that was the day before her mother died. They had been out most of the day and where now having a picnic on a hill by the family home, laughing and talking the night away. That had been five years ago to the day. the footsteps that followed suit snapped Annabelle out of her flashback and put alarm back in her, in place of the warmness she had felt previously. Despite her fear, she kept walking forward, towards the light. The room she entered was quite large with a lake covering half of it and sheet music covering the other have. It felt like she was walking into a dream, yet she knew how easy it was to get lost in a dream, she had been a victim of that before. Amazed by what she saw, she barely had time to react to the hands closing around her throat. trying to free herself from the demon suffocating her she stepped on its foot, but that only made it worse. tightening their grip on her, she made one more attempt to free herself and find out who was trying to kill her. Flipping the criminal over her shoulder, a trick her father taught her, the perpetrator was revealed. It was the Phantom of the Opera. He just stared up at her from where he lay, gazing into her big blue eyes. "Who are you?" He asked looking a bit dazed." I'm Annabelle," she said hesitantly. She still couldn't believe that she had just entered the phantom's layer and was still alive to tell the tale. "How did you find me?" he asked fiercely as he got up off the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was trying to get away from the officer and seen the passageway. I'm so sorry I didn't mean any harm." She said trying to make him understand she truly meant no harm, knowing the story behind the famed Phantom of the Opera. He just stood there trying to figure out if he believed her story, still a little perplexed as to why he hadn't killed her yet. After a few moments of silence he decided that she was telling the truth and he just wasn't in the mood to kill her, deep in the back of his mind knowing that that wasn't true but pushed it off." I'm... Erik" he sighed not fully conformable saying the name aloud. "now get out, would you. I have worked to do." He said angrily, his mood changing so fast. Annabelle just stared at him, not sure of what to say, afraid of what his response would be. She finally decided that it would be better not to say anything at all. Curiosity getting the best of Erik, he finally spoke the question he had been waiting to ask. "What were you running away from?" What was Annabelle supposed to respond, but after a few moments of thought she finally decided to tell the truth. Anyway, if she died she wanted someone to now the truth. "My dad." Erik was shocked that she would run away from her family. He would do anything to have people care about him. His whole life no one could look him on the eye, let alone let him be a part of there family. Here she was running away from the only thing he ever wanted." How could you do that? You had a family who cared about you. What is wrong with you, you petulant child." Erik spat. Annabelle laughed a little bit then let her anger towards Andre take over and answered, "He wasn't family. Family doesn't beat you until your laying on the ground paralyzed from pain and fear" From then on they talked about their present situation and future with little barrier between them, until it was well after midnight. For Erik it was as if he was living in a dream. For the first time in years, he truly wanted the presence of someone again in the most innocent way. His whole life people had looked at him and seen a beast. When she looked at him she saw someone who a human, not a demon from hell but a man that had every right to live. They kept talking about everything except their past. Erik still didn't know what he was feeling. It felt like a thousand angels had shown I light on him. How could a man like him change so fast, after so many years of living in solitude? Annabelle then realized the time and made up her mind to leave, not wanting to burden the man. She started to say her goodbyes until Erik asked her to stay, claiming she had nowhere else to go and he couldn't let her go on the streets at night. In the back of his mind he knew he wanted her to stay because he had never been with someone who wasn't scared away by The Phantom of the Opera. That one night turned into a pattern between them the next few weeks, until one night he just stopped having civil conversations with her. In his mind, he believed that he would hurt her like her hurt Christine and he couldn't do that to the innocent girl of barely eighteen. Maybe he was right or maybe as time goes by Annabelle will start to fall for the masked man as well.

Hello lovely people, thank you for all the support you have shown throughout the first few chapters. I hope you are enjoying the story as much as I am writing it. Please feel to comment, vote, and share the story, and please enjoy the rest of your day. Love you guys.  
~Casey Spencer


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Annabelle woke up on a bench, with a note saying:

I'm sorry

\- Opera Ghost

She should have known better then to trust him, the guy who only wanted her there to cook him dinner. Ever since she was a child she would here stories of him, how he murdered anybody who dare follow him. Why hadn't he killed her, goodness knows she gave him enough chances. Instead, they talked the night away. Laughing and playing all night long. Yet maybe it was for the best, maybe this was his way of protecting her, nothing gold can stay. Annabelle got up slowly, still stiff from sleeping on a bench. As she got up a small package fell from the blanket. It held a loaf a bread, some water, and money. Why was he so nice to her? Not only did he not kill her but also he gave her stuff to survive.

She began to eat the loaf of bread when she heard footsteps behind her. Who could be out this early, it was still the early morning hours around 5 A.M. She turned around to find Erik standing there staring at her. His light blue eyes glistened in the early sunlight. He came over and sat on the bench next to her, making her wonder why he would ever come to her after he left her on a bench. They stared at each other for a long time until Erik finally asked, "Why weren't you afraid of me last night?" Annabelle thought a long time before she answered "You gave me know reason to be afraid of you" He gave a long sigh obviously not liking the answer, feeling that his very existence was to scare people out of their wits, yet this girl says that he did not scare her.. "You should be afraid of me. I can hurt you more then you know" Erik said still not making eye contact. Annabelle kept wondering what he was afraid of. She didn't know what to say. They stared at each other for a long time until Annabelle finally said, "I don't believe that. You wouldn't hurt me. I trust you." "No," he practically shouted, "never trust me. I'm a monster. Haven't you heard the stories about me?" Erik got up, walking over to water. "Look I tried to help you but I realized it's not worth. Now go before you get hurt." For once in his life, he wasn't thinking of only his safety but hers to. He knew if she stayed

Eventually he would get mad and take it out on her.

Annabelle got up leaving the blanket on the bench. She walked away not wanting to look back afraid that the wall she build around herself would finally fall. Her whole life had been a lie and she thought that maybe he was her saving grace, but she was wrong. She started to turn around hearing footsteps behind her but then thought it was just him trying to get back inside before anybody saw his face, as he was wearing no mask.

That morning, after he had placed Annabelle on the bench, he kept wondering why she had not been frightened by him. Had he not given her any reason to be afraid? Had his horrendous face had no effect on her? By the time he had thought about all the questions he wanted to ask her the curiosity got the best of him. The next thing he knew, he was flying out of his home, on to the street without his mask, to ask her the question that head haunted him.

Were was she going to go. She had no friends, no one who cared about her. Annabelle started crying, sinking to the ground. How can somebody you known for just a couple weeks make you feel this way? It was like a thousand knives stabbing her in the heart, yet there was no way to make it stop. She finally decided she had to get somewhere out of the open, the confining walls of the alley were doing nothing got help her. She got up and started running away, away from this, away from him, away from this life. Why did he have to come into her life and mess up everything? Given she did walk in on him, but why couldn't he tell her to leave or kill her when he had the chance.

The sun started coming out and so had the people. Annabelle knew she had to hide somewhere for the day, but where could she go. She kept walking far into the night, having to get out. Get away. She started crying again, sinking behind a bush. In her life, she hadn't been one to cry very much, learning that crying didn't help anything, yet she couldn't help it, knowing that was her last chance at finding solace. It wasn't as if there were no other people she could fall in love with or no other chance at happiness. It was that, when he betrayed her, that last ounce of hope that she could trust someone died away with him. Not even her grandparents had her trust anymore, not after completely shunning there family after her mother died, the only time she saw them was when they had the courtesy to show up at a few parties now and again.

Her eyes flooded with tears making it hard to see. By the time she finally stopped crying it had become dark. The moon's bright grow illuminated the night sky, showing the millions of white specks in the otherwise dark realm. Annabelle slowly got up, trying to find her barring. After a couple of minutes she finally decided she was in a small town about an hour or so east of Paris. She kept walking still thinking of him.

The next morning Annabelle sat by the fence of an old broken down warehouse staring off into space, thinking of nothing more then the whereabouts of lost relatives. She heard footsteps behind her. Turning around she saw whom she was most afraid of. Annabelle's father stood there staring at her, laughing his malevolent laugh and smirking like his life depended on it. She started to scream as he grabbed her by the arm. "You honestly thought you could out smart me." He laughed coldly and started dragging her to the horse drawn carriage. She tried to scream again but Andre covered her mouth, as if that would stop her from trying. She knew someone was out there, there was footsteps coming from the east. If she could just hold him off long enough for whoever was out there to help her, maybe she would survive. The footsteps grew louder thumping along the gravel road, to the steady beat of a drum. He started to scream out for her knowing that she wasn't strong enough to hold Andre off. Erik came into the clearing and Annabelle's heart jumped. Why had he came back to save her? Andre kept pulling her towards the carriage. She still resisted him until he punched her arouse the face. She fell to the ground unconscious. "Anna" Erik yelled lurching towards Andre. Andre flung him through the air towards a near by tree. Erik hit it with such a force that mad even him cry out. Andre just laughed saying" You thought you could protect her from me. The almighty Phantom of the Opera. Isn't that sweet." He walked over to Erik punched him on the left side of his face. Annabelle screamed and tried to run over to him, after she regained her conscience. Andre just kept pulling her towards the carriage. Erik then got up and started limping in Andre's direction. Erik punched him with enough force to knock him out cold for a few minutes at most. Walking away from the relative area of Andre and towards Annabelle, to walk collapsed on the ground, to weak from the blow. Annabelle ran to him helping him sit up. His face was bruised all over, yet there was no mistaking the spark they had felt when they looked at each other again once more. They just stared at each other neither of them wanting to ruin the moment. Erik inched himself towards his mask which lay untouched several feet away. Annabelle reached slowly and picked up the mask, handing it back to him. She touched his face gently not wanting to hurt him anymore. Erik tried to stand up but couldn't until Annabelle supported the right side of his body. Together they walked back to the phantom's layer. Both leaning on each other, more for comfort then physical support.

A/N: Thank you, everyone for sticking with me throughout the beginning of the story, and I want to especially thank the ones who voted and commented, it means a lot that you found time to do those things. I also want to apoligize for the lateness of the update, and will try and get it up faster next time. As always please vote, comment, share, and most importantly jsut enjoy the story.

~Casey Spencer


End file.
